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American vehicle safety authorities have opened an investigation into Tesla vehicles equipped with the full self-driving technology due to traffic-safety violations after multiple crashes.

Safety Agency Identifies Safety Regulation Violations

The NHTSA stated that the electric carmaker's self-driving assistance system, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused vehicle behaviour that violated road safety regulations”.

This initial assessment by the NHTSA represents the first step before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the agency determines they pose a risk to road safety.

Concerning Case Findings

The regulatory body reported it had received accounts of 2.88 million Tesla cars driving through red traffic lights and moving against the wrong direction during lane switching while operating the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six reports in which a Tesla vehicle, using FSD activated, “came to an intersection with a red light, continued to drive into the crossroads against the red signal and was later part of a collision with other motor vehicles in the junction”.

The authority noted that four accidents had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA stated it has identified 18 reports and one news account claiming that Tesla cars, driving through an junction with FSD engaged, did not stay stopped for the entire time of a red traffic signal, did not come to complete stop, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the technology's planned behaviour as the vehicle was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Official Examination

Tesla's FSD, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for twelve months.

In late 2024, the agency started an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of poor visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or dust clouds. One of these collisions, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any time. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled functions do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated vehicle technology continue to face growing examination from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.